Combined fire sensing alarm and electric power receptacle



y 1967 A. M. YANKUS 3,320,601

COMBINED FIRE SENSING ALARM AND ELECTRIC .POWER RECEPTACLE Filed May 11, 1964 Fig./

A lberf M Yankus lNVIi'NTOK.

d 52 m" 38 i1 WM United States Patent Ofi 3,320,601 Patented May 16, 1967 3,320,601 COMBINED FIRE SENSING ALARM AND ELECTRIC POWER RECEPTACLE Albert M. Yankus, 6 Ardsley Lane, East Islip, N.Y. 11730 Filed May 11, 1964, Ser. No. 366,285 Claims. (Cl. 340-2211) This invention relates to a fire and current overload warning device and more particularly to a new and useful installational arrangement for a fire Warning system.

It is therefore a primary object of the present invention, to provide fire warning facilities for the interior of buildings capable of being installed in a more economical fashion and with greater dispersal for more reliable and rapid detection of excessive temperature conditions indicative of fire danger.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a fire alerting device which is operative to dispatch alerting signals from the vicinity in which the fire danger is detected utilizing as a source of energizing power, the existing power distributing system for the building.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a fire sensing device which is also operative to detect current overload conditions.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of one typical installation of a fire warning device of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken substantially through a plane indicated by section line 22 in FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken substantially through a plane indicated by section line 3-3 in FIG- URE. 1.

FIGURE 4 is a partial sectional view showing a portion of the device illustrated in FIGURE 2. in another operative condition.

FIGURE 5 is a front elevational view of a portion of the device with the cover plate removed.

FIGURE 6 is a simplified electrical circuit diagram corresponding to the fire warning device of the present invention.

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of another form of the fire warning device of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be observed from FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 that the fire warning device is mounted on an interior Wall 10' provided with an opening adapted to be aligned with a power box or enclosure 14. The power box is mounted in position in accordance with well-known procedures and practices in the building trades, as for example by being secured to a wall stud 16. The enclosure 14 is of a commercially available type having for example push-out openings therein through which an electrical power cable 18 may be received, the cable enclosing for example a pair of electrical conductors 20 and 22, the ends of which are connected to terminal plate elements 24 associated with a power outlet receptacle 26 which is modified in accordance with the present invention.

The outlet receptacle 26 is similar in construction to those commercially available in that the terminal plate elements 24 are electrically connected to contacts engaged by prongs inserted into the prong-receiving socket portions 28 or 30 of the receptacle. However, the receptacle 26 may be provided with a rearwardly extending portion 27 within which an alarm device such as a buzzer may be housed while the forward portion between the socket portions 28 and 30 mounts a thermal sensing unit 38. The wall plate 32 associated with the receptacle 26 and the enclosure box 14 is also modified so that a plurality of openings, perforations or apertures 36 are disposed between the openings through which the socket portions 28 and 30 are exposed. Also, the wall plate is held in position by the same screws 34 which secure the mounting element 25 of the receptacle to the flanges 40 of the power box 14.

Referring now to FIGURES 2, 4 and 5 in particular, it will be observed that the thermal-sensing unit is mounted by the receptacle 26 so that its bimetallic disk 42 will be exposed through the apertures 36. In its inactive condition illustrated in FIGURE 4, the movable contact 44 of the thermal-sensing unit is biased out of engagement with the fixed contacts 46 by the spring 48 so as tohold the bimetallic disk 42 in its outwardly bulged condition. When temperature conditions are such as to indicate a fire danger, the bimetallic disk 42 will bulge inwardly to the position illustrated in FIGURE 2 displacing the movable contact 44 into engagement with the fixed contacts 46. An electrical energizing circuit across the powerlines 20 and 22 is thereby completed as diagrammatically shown in FIGURE 6 in order to energize a fire altering alarm 50 housed within the portion 27 extending rearwardly from the receptacle 26 as aforementioned.

From the foregoing description, the construction, arrangement and utility of the fire warning device of the present invention will be apparent. It will therefore be appreciated that the alarm device which issues the fire alerting signals may be energized in a more eflicient and convenient manner without any additional wiring inasmuch as it is mounted on the receptacle device adjacent to the already available electrical power supply brought to'the power box. Furthermore, because the alarm device and the thermal-sensing unit are mounted within the power box and on the wall plate associated therewith, no additional installational labor will be involved in order to install the fire warning devices. Additionally, because of the described arrangement, the construction and mounting of the fire warning device will involve an unexpectedly small expense as compared to other fire warning devices because of separate and additional installational requirements. It will also be apparent that a similar fire warning installation will be applicable to circuit establishing devices other than the outlet receptacle described with respect to FIGURES 1 through 5. For example, a similar installation may be provided in connection with a manual switch device 64, the switch device exposed through a wall plate member 66 as shown in FIGURE 7. The wall plate member 66 is also provided with perforations '68 for exposing a thermal switchsensing unit located therebehind within the power box associated with the switch device.

It has also been found, in connection with outlet receptacle devices constructed and installed in accordance with the present invention, that the thermal unit 38 will sense current overload conditions inasmuch as the area adjacent to the prong contacts becomes heated, this heat accumulating to actuate the thermal-sensing unit after a certain delay period. Therefore, the device of the present invention serves an additional function in that it provides a warning in the absence of any fire danger indicating an overloaded circuit condition before any irreparable damage occurs to the wiring. The provision of such a current overload sensing and warning system is achieved without any additional installation or equipment cost.

Accordingly, the novel installation arrangement of the present fire and current overload warning device may be widely dispersed throughout any building inasmuch as it will necessarily be provided with switch and plug-receiving receptacles at many locations. Fire danger may therefore be detected at each of such locations and fire alerting signals issued from the same location at which any fire danger is detected. In addition to the installational advantages inherent in the fire warning devices of the present invention, it will be obvious that existing parts and devices through .which electrical power is distributed and mounted behind the interior walls, may be utilized with very little modification or expense.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired .to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination with a wall mounted enclosure internally receiving a cable enclosing electrical conductors connected to a circuit establishing device and a wall plate, closing said closure and having perforations formed therein, means for providing a fire warning comprising, thermal responsive switch means, means mounting the switch means within the receptacle abutting the wall plate and in alignment with said perforations for exposing the switch means to temperature conditions externally of the enclosure, alarm means mounted within the enclosure for issuing alerting signals externally of the enclosure through said perforations, and means electrically connecting the thermal responsive switch means to .the electrical conductors and the alarm means for issuing said altering signals in response to closing of the switch means.

2. In a fire warning device adapted to be mounted adjacent current carrying conductors disposed behind a wall for connection to circuit establishing means enclosed within an enclosure aligned with an opening in said wall, plate means secured to said circuit establishing means and enclosure for closing the opening and exposing the circuit establishing means, said plate means being provided with apertures exposing enclosure to temperature conditions externally thereof, thermal-sensing means mounted Within said enclosure in alignment with said apertures, alarm means mounted on the circuit establishing means for providing an alerting signal When energized and means electrically connecting the thermal-sensing means to the conductors and the alarm means for energizing the alarm means in response to predetermined temperature conditions at the wall plate means.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said circuit establishing means includes a switch device.

4. In combination with an electrical power distributing device secured to a mounting plate having a temperature exposing opening therein, temperature sensing switch means secured to the device in abutment with said mounting plate for sensing ambient conditions through said opening in the mounting plate, alarm means mounted on said device spaced from the mounting plate and coupling means connecting the switch means and the alarm meansto the device for rendering the alarm means operative.

5. The combination of claim 4 including an enclosure housing the device and the alarm means having an open end closed by the mounting plate and power distributing conductors extending into said enclosure and connected to the device and the coupling means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,452,942 11/1948 Lor-d et al. 324-28 X 2,496,049 1/1950 Henry 200-113 X 2,753,420 7/1956 Rosenberg et al. 2006l.02 X 2,875,348 2/1959 Kazan ZOO-61.02 X 2,997,561 8/1961 Siri 200-113 X 3,169,239 2/1965 Lacey 200-l13 X 3,197,591 7/ 196 6 Thurmond 200113 NEIL C. REID, Primary Examiner.

D. YUSKO, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A WALL MOUNTED ENCLOSURE INTERNALLY RECEIVING A CABLE ENCLOSING ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS CONNECTED TO A CIRCUIT ESTABLISHING DEVICE AND A WALL PLATE, CLOSING SAID CLOSURE AND HAVING PERFORATIONS FORMED THEREIN, MEANS FOR PROVIDING A FIRE WARNING COMPRISING, THERMAL RESPONSIVE SWITCH MEANS, MEANS MOUNTING THE SWITCH MEANS WITHIN THE RECEPTACLE ABUTTING THE WALL PLATE AND IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID PERFORATIONS FOR EXPOSING THE SWITCH MEANS TO TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS EXTERNALLY OF THE ENCLOSURE, ALARM MEANS MOUNTED WITHIN THE ENCLOSURE FOR ISSUING ALERTING SIGNALS EXTERNALLY OF THE ENCLOSURE THROUGH SAID PERFORATIONS, AND MEANS ELECTRICALLY CONNECTING THE THERMAL RESPONSIVE SWITCH MEANS TO THE ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS AND THE ALARM MEANS FOR ISSUING SAID ALTERING SIGNALS IN RESPONSE TO CLOSING OF THE SWITCH MEANS. 